Am-Tech Lathe - help needed

[kevinl]

My son has been given an Am-Tech lathe by someone who was moving house. Now we've got it up on a bench we find there is only a face plate. Can anyone confirm the thread of the head stock - my preliminary measurements (using a tape) is that it is 3/4" with 10tpi? Also, more importantly, does anyone know where we can get a drive centre for this? I'm struggling to find one listed anywhere for this size of thread, & don't want to go to the expense of a chuck at this stage, as my son may not take to it. Failing that, what is the best way to fix smaller diameter timber (wood?) to the face plate?

Thanks in advance - any info will be gratefully recieved

 

[jumps]

I dont know the lathe but the drive centre will go inside the threaded spindle on the headstock an dbe held in place by a morse taper. If the external thread is 3/4" then this is likely to be a no 1MT.

You should be able to check the rough dimensions of the internal taper to check.

 

[nev]

usually a good source of lathe related info http://www.lathes.co.uk/ but i can see no ref to Am tech. are there any other identifying names and numbers on it?

 

[chipmunk]

3/4" x 10TPI was a standard thread according to...
http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Chucks___Accessories/Spindle_Data/spindle_data.html

...but having said that accessories may still be tricky to get hold of.
HTH
Jon

 

[OldWood]

A little coincidently I have just given advice in another thread ("Best books for Newbie") against a book, Keith Rowley's "Woodturning - a Foundation Course" as it is now over 20 years old and doesn't mention scroll chucks. In your case this may be the book you should consider getting as the book is good on tool use and details all the other ways of holding wood for turning.

I've just measured the initial inside diameter of my headstock and for Morse Taper 2 it is ~17mm. Anything less will be MT1, though I recently learnt that there is MT0 as well but that will be very small lathes.

Someone else has given you the link to Toolpost - also look up Axminster on the web as they carry a large stock of lathe bits and pieces.

By the way the comments that I gave to Ruth in the above thread on books will also apply to you and your son.

Rob

 

[kevinl]

As an update.....

Couldn't locate a drive centre to fit (even went to Axminster Tools on the offchance they might have something not in their catalogue). Managed to confirm it is 3/4" x 10 tpi (3/4" UNC), so got hold of a nut of that size & got a 4 prong parallel drive centre from Axminster. A pal TIG wleded the two together (taking care over alignment) & now my son is happily turning away

I suspect I'll have to get hold of a chuck fairly soon as he's already asking how to hollow out the centre of a candle stick! At least it gets him away from his XBox!

 

[jumps]

I have just given advice in another thread ("Best books for Newbie") against a book, Keith Rowley's "Woodturning - a Foundation Course" as it is now over 20 years old and doesn't mention scroll chucks. ..........

Rob

Mine includes them, including a picture of an Axmister four jaw scroll chuck........maybe you still have a 20 year old version? #-o

But no, I'm not recomending you dash out and get a newer copy!

 

[CHJ]

Indeed the New Edition (2nd ed.) first published in 1999 ( ISBN 1 86108 114 6)has the Axminster scroll chuck featured on page 18, (pic. p 19) and described in the opening 'description' paragraph as " For me this is the most outstanding heavy-duty scroll chuck available" it goes on to describe some of the collet style chucks etc. from an earlier era and still available for those prepared to juggle with or wanting the specifics of their abilities for certain tasks.

A good many older style budget lathes with the smaller spindle noses are solid spindles and do not have a Morse taper facility.
But for those wishing to check taper sizes a google will usually throw up the appropriate dimensions.
There is a PDF sheet of info. on my server here which gives the bore dimensions if not all the details for thread retainer versions.